Sandy Moon (Part One)
"Sandy Moon (Part One)" 'is the ninth episode of ''Genesis, the tenth season, and the 173rd episode overall. It was narrated by Katarina, airing on November 6, 2015. In the episode, the a captive slave girl in Syria becomes the Seventh Envoy when she breaks her bonds and lays siege to the Arabian Desert. The Episode SYRIAN DESERT December 4, 2016 Qaasy, a Middle-Eastern sex slave dealer, led his client, Taqeel, into the tent. Taqeel was a fat, but hungry man, and Qaasy was paid to quench the appetite. "She is in here," Qaasy said in Arabic, revealing a toothless grin, "The Sandy Moon." Qaasy drew back the flap, revealing a gaunt Lebanese girl of 17 years, shackled to the tent's pole. "She will do...unspeakable things..." Qaasy said. He saw Taqeel lick his lower lip. Qaasy slipped outside and laughed as he counted the money. The Sandy Moon heard the bastard undressing. He struggled to remove his sandals. "I heard you have no family," the man, Taqeel, said, "I heard they were killed." Before she was kidnapped, before she was plunged into hell, she had been named Sahara. Sahara Aladeen. She ignored Taqeel. "Dead father," he said, "Dead mother. Dead siblings." He ripped off her burqa. Sahara closed her eyes and cried. YEARS AGO Sahara was at home. Her father was swinging her younger sister around. Her mother was serving dinner. The neighbors were celebrating the first day of Ramadan. Sahara lay next to her brother among the trees. She closed her eyes. But when she opened them, everything stood still. The tree behind her was aflame in purple. This was a dream. Sahara stared at the burning bush. It seemed so vivid. "Sahara," the bush said. Sahara approached. "The pain can end," the bush said, "You can have revenge on your captors. Avenge your family. Their deaths. These men burned your town. Your friends." "I don't want revenge," Sahara said, "I just want freedom." "You will have it," the bush said, "Consent to us." Us? Sahara wondered. "I want freedom for the other girls too. All of them. Every slave." "You will have it," the bush said, "Consent to us. Consent to the plague." "I consent," Sahara said. Her eyes turned orange. Qaasy came to visit the Sandy Moon that night. Now he was hungry for Sandy Moon's body. She was laying face-up in bed, her eyes closed, body rigid. He removed his robe and pressed himself against her. She didn't wriggle. Or even fight. Unlike her... "Sandy Moon?" Qaasy teased, "Sandy...are you...?" She didn't move. "Sandy Moon?" Qaasy said louder. The other girls in the tent were waking up, looking frightened. He might have time for some of them.... "Sahara!" Qaasy snapped. Sandy Moon's eyes opened. She sat up, knocking Qaasy to the sandy ground. '''"A shallow hymn, A ghostly choir, Will take their thrones Upon the pyre. The burning skies Destroy empires. A pestilence. A plague of fire." Qaasy was aghast. He had made it a point to keep the girls in the dark about the plagues. After all, their knowledge of the plagues would only provide hope. And Sahara had not only found out, but had the audacity to make up her own Gospel?! "Miserable slut," Qaasy said, climbing back on top of her, "Shut up while..." Her eyes glowed orange. "A shallow hymn, A ghostly choir, Will take their thrones Upon the pyre. The burning skies Destroy empires. A pestilence. A plague of fire." Sahara combusted. Her hair ignited, burning the tent. Qaasy fell to the floor, but Sahara grabbed his arm. He burned to his skeleton. "Sahara!" one of the other girls cried, "Someone get water!" One of the other slave girls ran for the well outside. She yelped when the rope that bonded her ankle to her bed brought her to the ground. But then the other slave girls froze. Their eyes glowed. And they too caught on fire. They united their hands. And together, they laid siege to the Arabian desert. ANKARA, TURKEY DAY THREE Chiara crossed her arms as Alistaire and Preston met their Syrian guide. The one Alistaire hired to take them to Ground Zero for the Plague of Fire. The Syrian border was closed by ISIL, making it difficult to reach the apparent brothel where the fires broke out. The already hot Arabian desert had become a valley of hellfire. And hardly any foreign powers had stepped in to aid. "Al Jazeera says the entire Saudi royal family has died in the burning of the royal palace," Chiara said, folding her newspaper and looking at the Syrian guide, "How can we trust you to not get us burned alive?" "She no come, yes?" the guide asked in shaky English. "Correct," Alistaire said, "She's a woman. ISIL would smite her on the spot." "They're merde," Chiara said. "They are shit," Preston agreed. Alistaire's phone rang. He turned to look at the caller ID. Not now, he thought, and switched off his phone. Thankfully, Preston and Chiara didn't notice. The guide clapped his hands. "The men will follow me into Syria. We pretend to be selling prostitutes. Maybe buying. We go in supporting ISIL. We come out with the...um..." "Envoy," Preston said, "And we don't leave without him. Or her." "And me?" Chiara asked, "What do I do? Pray? Because I'm thinking about it." "Don't," Alistaire said, "It's a trivial practice. You will meet with the Turkish Prime Minister about protecting the country from potential fire attacks. The plague is growing stronger." Chiara's eyes bulged. "THE Turkish Prime Minister? Recep Erdogan? Okay, fine, I'll stay here. Have fun with ISIS!" Chiara blew Preston a kiss, which shocked everyone. Including Chiara. She blushed and turned, head down, walking quickly back to the car. "Come," the guide said, "We go to Syria." "Godspeed," Preston muttered to Alistaire. Alistaire rolled his eyes. "Manspeed," he said. SYRIA DAY FOUR Alistaire and Preston stared at the wreckage of the brothel. The metal rods that held up the tent were all that remained standing. Everything else was razed. "This is as far as we go," the Syrian guide said, "No further. Do your looking. I keep watch." Preston approached the ruins. Several girls lay dead. Preston circled around to the back, where he saw a glint of orange. "Empires," a weak female voice said, very clearly in English. Preston moved a piece of cloth to reveal the charred body of a young girl. Her eyes were orange. "STARRY!" Preston called. The old man hastened to the girl. "The burning skies," she said, "Destroy empires." "She's the Envoy," Alistaire breathed. The girl blinked. "No I'm not." Alistaire squinted. "You know English?" Preston asked. The girl moved her head slightly. "Not until a few days ago...I..." The girl seized. She began shaking as hunger took over. "Sahara," she whispered, "Sahara Aladeen. She was the first to..." The girl seized again. Preston could see there was nothing to do. It was a miracle she lasted this long. Miracle, Preston thought, Miracles aren't that hard to believe in given the circumstances of the past months... "Sahara went...to Lebanon..." the girl said, "Find her..." She slumped. "Fire..." Her eyes lost their orange glow. And she gave her last breath. ANKARA, TURKEY "It is...an honor, Mr. Erdogan," Chiara said as she shook the Prime Minister of Turkey's hand. He smiled generously at her. "Please, Ms. Chastain, have a seat." They sat at opposite ends of a table. A window overlooked the city of Ankara. "Preston Alcott and I have outlined a potential evacuation plan for the key cities in the northern..." "Ms. Chastain," Erdogan said, holding up a hand, "I'm afraid convincing Mr. MacGuaire to allow you to give me your plan is the only way we could schedule a private meeting. We need to talk about Alistaire." Chiara closed her folder and leaned forward. "Go on." "We don't trust him," Erdogan said, "Quite simply." "Well," Chiara said, "He's neurotic and eccentric. Kind of shady. He's very frustrating. But he has taken the plagues to his top priority. And due to his resourcefulness, we've saved every Envoy. And perhaps even ordinary citizens." "We don't refute his accomplishments," Erdogan said, "We doubt his motives." Erdogan opened his briefcase and handed Chiara a notice. "Turkish electrical companies terminate business with Electra?" Chiara read, "What is Electra?" "It is an international company for electricity," Erdogan said, "You will not have heard of it, because only national governments can do business with it." "And?" Chiara said. "Alistaire MacGuaire is the CEO of Electra," Erdogan said. Chiara stared, incredulous. "Starry owns a shovel and garden company," she said. "It is a front," Erdogan said, "Those that do business are sworn to secrecy. But Electra provides electricity for 98% of the world. Even General Electric receives its power from Electra." "Why would he want to keep all that hidden?" Chiara asked. Suddenly, the old man had doubts swarming around him. "Exactly," Erdogan said, "Two months ago, I was weary of the deal with Electra, but it provided us with cheap electricity, and our citizens were happy. But now the end of the world is coming. Turks know this for fact. It is time to get right with Allah and I start by terminating this contract. Good day, Ms. Chastain. I hope you find salvation." BEIRUT, LEBANON DAY FIVE "THERE!" Preston yelled as another building in the capitol city of Beirut exploded. Sahara Aladeen was walking along the street, her eyes orange, her entire body on fire. She was, however, unscathed. She was speaking her Gospel. Preston took pictures with his phone. "GO!" Alistaire called. Preston popped the premeditated fire hydrant and blasted Sahara. The fire did not extinguish. She turned her head toward Preston. "A pestilence. A plague of fire." A wave of fire exploded at her feet. Preston jumped back, but felt the heat graze his face. His hair, just beginning to reemerge since the lice plague in China, was singed. "A shallow hymn, a ghostly choir, will take their thrones upon the pyre..." "Sahara!" Preston yelled, "Sahara please! You have to come with us! We can keep you safe!" "The burning skies destroy empires..." Alistaire jumped in front of her. "SAHARA, STOP THE GOSPEL!" "A pestilence. A plague of fire." She blasted Alistaire in the chest with a flaming inferno. He immolated and fell backward, shrieking. Preston popped the other part of the hydrant and sent a river of water into the street, extinguishing Alistaire's fire. But he was badly burnt. They had to get back to Turkey. Preston closed his eyes. Please...he thought. He reached out and grabbed Sahara's arm. The fire went out. Her eyes remained orange, but she stopped flaming. Preston lifted Alistaire. "Follow me, Sahara!" Preston said and ran back toward their guide. Surprisingly, Sahara followed. Production Continuity and Story Arcs Alistaire is revealed to be the CEO of Electra, an electricity company that supplies electricity for 98% of the world. As a result, many governments have grown weary of Alistaire. Alistaire is injured in an attempt to stop Sahara. Trivia *The episode gets its namesake from the slave name of Sahara. *For the first time, the bush spoke for a long period of time to the Envoy, as seen by the reader. *The opening to the episode is one of the darkest in Storytime's history. Category:Episodes Category:Genesis Episodes